Quick Tortellini with Spinach & Garlic

Various iterations of this dish find their way to our table often when I find myself a bit short of time and/or energy, but still want something with the fresh, homemade flavor. After putting water on to boil, I start by sauteeing some minced garlic (4 cloves or so) in about 2 tbsp olive oil. Tonight I had half a red onion at hand and added that too. After they soften, add a diced red bell pepper and about 1/3 cup white wine, and saute. Add herbs of choice--basil, oregano and rosemary are likely candidates.

Add the cheese tortellini to the boiling water around the time the pepper gets added to the sauce. Cook the tortellini according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, add about 5 ounces baby spinach to the sauce after the pepper begins to soften. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Drain the tortellini and toss with the sauce and an extra tbsp of olive oil. Enjoy!

Toasted almonds or pine nuts make a nice addition here. Tonight I had some extra lemon caper butter I'd made over the weekend, and added a tbsp of that instead of the extra olive oil, and that worked well.

Served tonight with a white rioja, the medium bodied white from Spain was a good match.